Ai Da To Shinjite
by Kitty-chan33
Summary: When Yoh returns to Izumo after losing to Faust, the battle between Tamao's heart and head begins. Will she give up her dignity and finally let Yoh know about her infatuation? [Yoh x Tamao] [Written for 30Kisses on Livejournal]
1. Chapter I: Letter

Random Quote of the Chapter: "If you eat too much in the morning, then you'll get fat!" -Asakura Yoh, Ep. 64

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Kitty: Yay! It's time for another fic! I figure that since it's summer, I'll be able to update quickly. So...this fic contains Yoh x Tamao-ness, so if you're against them as a couple, just click the back button and save yourself the hassle of getting mad and flaming me, okay?

Anna: Wait, why am _I_ just about the only person who never gets to be with Yoh in your fics? I mean, even _you_ get him more than I do!

Kitty: It's not _my_ problem your fiancé picks me over you. (_shrugs_)

Anna: (_slap!_)

Kitty: Oww...my face...

Anna: It's times like these when you stick Yoh and Tamao together that I'm glad you don't own Shaman King.

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Chapter I

Theme 2: News; Letter

Tamamura Tamao stood outside the temple door, staring at the opened letter in her hands and completely dumbfounded. As if someone writing to her in Izumo wasn't amazing enough, the sender of the letter was none other than Asakura Yoh-sama himself; Tamao's infatuation for the past seven years. Tamao read the letter over and over again, just to make sure she hadn't made some mistake...

__

Dear Tamao,

I'm writing to tell you that Anna and I are coming home to Izumo for a while. To make a long story short, I lost the second preliminary round of the Shaman Tournament, so I'm coming home to train with Ojî-chan for a while. You'll be happy to know that I've got my own mochirei now, and he's really cool. I can't wait for you to meet him! Make sure to tell Ojî-chan that I'm on my way with Anna, and give Obâ-chan our regards.

Love Yoh

P.S. Try to keep Konchi and Ponchi under control when we get there. You know how much Anna hates them!

Below the writing was a cute but hasty doodle of Yoh-sama, Anna-sama, and what looked like a samurai ghost, all in chibi-form and smiling widely.

Tamao gawked at the letter, red eyes wide. _'Love Yoh'?_ Surely that was an accident. Or maybe a misunderstanding. Yes, everyone closed letters with 'love,' didn't they? Tamao blushed, meekly trying to convince herself it was a misunderstanding, yet praying it wasn't. Her desires finally getting the better of her, she clutched the letter tightly to her chest, trying to get as much of Yoh-sama as she could, even if it meant only cuddling with a piece of paper.

"Tamao!" Mid-sigh, the pink-haired prophetess was yanked from her reverie by Yohmei-sama's aged voice calling from deep within the temple. "Tamao! Where are you! I need more tea!" Tamao didn't respond for a moment. On an impulse, she gently kissed Yoh-sama's little doodle of himself, as if the kiss would magically transport itself from the caricature to Yoh-sama's lips. It wasn't much, but it was more bold than Tamao could ever be in real life, and it comforted her to know that at least Yoh-sama's drawing had gotten some of her love.

"C-Coming, Yohmei-sama!" Tamao squeaked, almost dropping the letter as she scurried off into the temple to offer aid to her desired grandfather-in-law.

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End Chapter I.

Kitty: Poor Tamao...the only action she can get is with a drawing.

Anna: That's all she deserves. Yoh's _my_ fiancé, so I'm the only one who should get him.

Kitty: Jeez, Anna. Didn't anyone ever teach you about sharing?

Anna: (_slap!_)

Kitty: Oww...that makes twice in one chapter...take some pity on me and leave a review? Please?


	2. Chapter II: Perfect Blue

Random Quote of the Chapter: "Nanda blingbling ga?" -Tao Ren to Mattel Chocolove, a Shaman King dôjinshi.

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Kitty: Actually, this chapter was intended to be a completely different one-shot, but I thought I needed to update this story.

Horohoro: So _that's _why it's unbearably long!

Kitty: I swore to myself I would try to keep the chapters for this story short, but--

Horohoro: You like to talk too much. (_grin_)

Kitty: Exactly. --Hey!

Disclaimer: Things would be different…

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Ai Da To Shinjite

Chapter II

Theme 15: Perfect Blue

'Today's the day,' Tamao thought as she paced the kitchen restlessly. 'Today's the day when Yoh-sama finally comes home to Izumo.' She hadn't seen her precious Yoh-sama in almost a year now, and the suspense of seeing him within the next few hours was almost killing her. So she attempted to calm her nerves the only way she could think of; by cooking. At the moment, the Asakura family's gigantic kitchen was practically overflowing with what Yohmei-sama thought was his grandson's welcome-home dinner, when really, it was the result of Tamao trying to keep her head clear.

Tamao wished Keiko-sama was there. Usually, whenever she was nervous or afraid, Yoh-sama's mother would be there to help calm her down. The miko would treat Tamao like the daughter she never had, since her son was always away training with his grandfather and she still had her mothering instincts about her. But alas, at this moment, Keiko-sama was away in China with the local ladies' group.

Tamao took a calming breath as she set a large pot of water to boil for curry udon --Yoh-sama's favorite food. He'd told her on occasion that _her _curry udon was the best he'd ever tasted, but her only response was to blush the same shade of pink as her hair and try to stutter out some form of thanks. Tamao knew she had to try harder to keep a clear head this time; if she was ever going to win Yoh-sama's heart, she needed to be able to keep herself even _slightly _rational when she was around him.

'But I could never do that,' she thought glumly as she dropped shiitake mushroom pieces one by one into the cold water on the stove. Then, brushing her hands off on her apron, she slid open the rice paper door to the outside world, allowing a gentle breeze to float in. Yohmei-sama told her not to leave the door open while she was cooking, because bugs would come in, and no one likes bugs in their soup. But today, there were no bugs.

Just a few clouds.

'Yoh-sama likes the clouds,' Tamao reminded herself, leaning up against the doorframe and basking in the sunlight. She herself, however, didn't like clouds. They were always blocking the sunlight from reaching her and keeping her warm. Tamao cast a glance toward the sun, which was about to be covered up by a large dark cloud, she noticed.

A large dark cloud that somehow resembled Anna-sama's bandanna.

Anna-sama… It had to be some kind of sign, really. Just when Tamao would start to feel comfortable around Yoh-sama, Anna-sama would come and put an end to anything before it began. Like a cloud covering the sun.

Yes, Anna-sama was the rain cloud that blocked out Tamao's sunshine before it could reach Yoh-sama.

But there was an even bigger problem. Yoh-sama liked clouds. Suddenly, Tamao felt like she wanted to cry. If Yoh-sama liked clouds, then what was she doing by trying to win him? After all, clouds were very important; they brought the rain that kept the world alive. Tamao was sure that Anna-sama had personally made sure Yoh-sama stayed alive many times over the past year.

Tamao sighed, hearing the water for the curry udon finally coming to a boil. She slowly made her way over to the stove and turned it off; the mushrooms had to soak in the hot water for at least twenty minutes before she could add anything else to it, so she busied herself by cutting up the chicken and vegetables for it. --Rather harshly, if you'd ask any bystander. She'd become rather frustrated in the past half hour, so she was taking her aggressions out on an onion and a carrot. Not the best stress-reliever in the world, but it seemed to help keep her mind off Yoh-sama and Anna-sama.

"Tamao," came a gruff voice from the door outside, which Tamao had neglected to close. The ascetic-in-training turned around to find Yohmei-sama standing just inside the doorway, smoking a long, thin pipe.

"Y-Yes, Yohmei-sama," Tamao stuttered, becoming embarrassed by the slight disarray of the kitchen.

"I thought I told you not to leave this door open while you're cooking," Yohmei reminded the girl. Tamao squeaked.

"Gomen nasai!" she piped, rushing over and sliding the door shut. "It was getting hot in here with all my cooking, so I opened the door to let some cooler air in." Yohmei stared at her for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't let any bugs get into your soup," Tamao added hastily, trying to prevent an oncoming lecture. A small --though wrinkly-- grin appeared on Yohmei-sama's face, making him look quite a bit like his grandson.

"I see you've learned something from all those years cooking for me," he said. Though his face was smiling, he didn't really sound good-natured. "I'm pleased with you."

"A-Arigatô," Tamao stuttered, clasping her hands together and bowing slightly. A moment of awkward silence took over as she stared at the floor, waiting for Yohmei-sama to scold her about the disorderly state of the kitchen.

"But that's not what I've come to talk to you about," Yohmei-sama said gruffly, taking a draw from his pipe. "My grandson is coming home today, as you…well know," he said as he looked around at all the food Tamao had prepared out of sheer nervousness. "I fear that since he hasn't been living here for quite a while, he won't remember his way here from the bus stop. So I want you to go and get him when he arrives."

"Hai, Yohmei-sama…"

((An hour later…))

Tamao sat at the deserted bus station, swinging her feet nervously back and forth. The bench she was sitting on was meant for adults, so her feet didn't quite reach the ground. The manga she'd brought lay forgotten on the bench next to her; she thought she might read it while she was waiting, but she was too nervous to even sit still. Every once in a while, though, she'd cast the picture on the cover a quick glance, just to…admire the artwork; two fairly good-looking boys held each other in a tight embrace, their lips just barely touching.

As the bus rolled into the station, Tamao managed to stuff the semi-perverted manga into her large pocket; no use letting Yoh-sama know her dirty little secret, right? Anyway, as a few unrecognizable people filed off the bus, Tamao began to worry. Could Yoh-sama have missed the bus? Did he get off at the wrong stop? Was he not getting off at the right stop? Tamao's head almost exploded with questions, until she saw a familiar pair of eyes staring down at her from the doorway to the bus. Tamao began to tremble slightly in both anticipation and relief.

Asakura Yoh stepped off the bus and onto the sandy-dirt ground, dropping a duffle bag from his shoulder to the ground..

Tamao almost fainted when she finally got a good look at her beloved. His skin was ever so slightly darker, while his hair had lightened the tiniest bit. --Almost as if he'd been spending more time in the sun lately. He was dressed fairly well, too; or rather, his shirt was actually buttoned up for once. But something else was different…very different.

"Yo," he said, smiling gently at Tamao. She tried to greet him more casually than she normally would have, but that idea crumbled faster than dried-out coffee cake.

"Kon'nichi wa, Yoh-sama," she said, bowing and beginning to sweat. She glanced at him quickly from her bent-over position, and that was when she figured out what was different about Yoh-sama.

The sparkle in his eyes had dulled.

Tamao gasped silently; apparently Yoh-sama's loss in the second round had affected him more than anyone had thought it would. --So much that it'd taken away the vivacity that had lived in his eyes and only there. She studied his face for a moment, too shocked to actually speak.

"Did 'jî-chan come with you, Tamao?" Yoh-sama asked, possibly noticing how long Tamao's gaze had lingered on his face.

"Iie," Tamao said, blushing for a reason even she couldn't understand. She looked around for a moment, averting her eyes from Yoh. "Where's Anna-sama? Didn't you say she was coming with you?" she asked, suddenly noticing the lack of the itako. Yoh-sama laughed nervously.

"She wanted to see the season finale of her soap," he explained sheepishly. "There's really no point in arguing with her over little things like this. Besides…when she's not here, she can't yell at me," Yoh-sama concluded, picking up his duffle bag and grinning. Too shy to say anything else of substance, Tamao led Yoh-sama back through the wooded path that led to the Asakura residence. Only when they'd nearly reached their destination did either of them actually speak.

"Ahh…It's such a nice day," Yoh-sama said contentedly as the two teens walked along the path. "Not a cloud in the sky."

"I thought you liked the clouds, Yoh-sama," Tamao put in shyly before she realized what she was saying. Yoh looked almost surprised that she'd spoken without actually being addressed.

"Well, I do," he replied. "But not all the time."

Tamao's face lit up, though Yoh-sama hadn't seen.

"Like 'jî-chan always says, it's about balance," the Asakura continued. "It's been really cloudy lately, so now the sun needs a chance to shine."

Just as the two teens reached the end of the wooded path and arrived at the enormous Asakura residence, Yoh-sama looked up toward the sky.

"I've really missed the sun lately," he added, smiling.

Tamao stared at Yoh-sama for a moment, then averted her gaze to the heavens as well. Indeed, the sun was shining brightly, but something was different.

There were no clouds. Not a single one.

And if only for that very moment, the sky was perfect blue.

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Horohoro: See, you _do _talk too much! Four pages of you yapping about Yoh and Tamao!

Kitty: Hey, I'm doing better! Rag Doll usually has eight or nine pages!

Horohoro: Review, or she'll never shut up!

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(In case the symbols don't come through, this is to the Smiley Face Person): Thank you! I doubt this update is quick enough, but I hope you liked this painfully long chapter!

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KatonKageNaruto: I don't mind guys who say 'cute;' it only proves that they're manly enough to cast aside their masculinity for a moment to express themselves. (That doesn't make too much sense, does it?) But yes, Anna can be selfish at times, but you have to remember that her parents abandoned her when she was five, so she never really had any possessions to learn to share.

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Dreammistress Jade: Yay Tamao! She's my favorite female character in the series, so I guess we've got something in common! I was actually thinking of cosplaying as her a few weeks ago at a con, but I decided against it, so Higurashi Kagome I was. (Oh God…Yoda-talk…)

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nova14: My DVDs…I bought the entire series in Japanese at a con for 85 bucks…_way _overpriced, if you ask me, especially considering how badly they were subtitled. But anyway, the only reason I included the skit between myself and Anna was to make people laugh, and apparently it worked! I didn't get your email address, but if you review again, you can put it in little space up above where you enter the text of your review. --The space labeled 'Email' works for that.

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PRoyalAngel: Yes, I do give up on a fair share of my fics, don't I? Okay, not give up…they just go on very _long _hiatuses. But apparently this one isn't on _too _much of a hiatus, is it?

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Setsumi-san: First off, I'm sorry I stole your idea of little quotes at the beginnings of chapters. But think of it this way: you've started a trend! Actually, though, I was really hesitant about Tamao's character. She's shy, but not enormously so, which makes it hard to determine what she'd do in a situation and what she'd _like _to do. Quite a bit like myself, actually…

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Ivy: Yes, love can do strange things to people. But one of the main reasons she kissed the picture is that there's supposed to be a kiss in each chapter, and that was the only way I could think of to incorporate one for that first chapter.

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Dragon-rose-vine: Oh wow! Another Yoh x Tamao fan! That's so cool! Almost everyone hates this couple, so it's so great to talk to someone who doesn't want to string Tamao up to a flagpole with her own innards! Have you joined the fanlisting yet?

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Xbakiyalo: That's what Tamao needs; self-confidence. But couldn't we all use a little more of that? (_sigh_)

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SGCred: (_sigh_) Just for right now, let's all pretend that this fic isn't an exaggerated version of my life as I inform you for no reason at all that I've actually seen Yoh plushies for sale. (Along with Anna, Manta, Ren, and Horohoro.) I thought about buying the Ren plushie, but I decided against it. --Even though I've got nothing short of a plushie-fetish, I wouldn't really know what to do with it once I got it.

Kya-san: Yes, Yoh gets Tamao, and you get Horohoro! Sounds very fair, indeed! (_gives Horohoro to Kya-san, wrapped up in a big, shiny blue bow_)

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Aseret Kitsune: Thank you! I've continued, so I hope you're happy!


	3. Chapter III: Radio Cassette Player

-_shifty eyes_- Drugs? What drugs?

Disclaimer: What do you think?

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**Ai Da To Shinjite**

**Chapter III**

**Themes 14: Radio-Cassette Player**

The next twenty-four hours passed all too quickly for Tamao, and soon enough, she found herself and Yoh-sama sitting alone together at the bus stop, waiting for Anna-sama to arrive. Tamao was practically trembling after she realized that there were only mere inches between Yoh-sama and herself, and had to fight the urge to spring up from the bench and squeal out an excuse to relocate herself away from her crush.

Yoh-sama, of course, was completely oblivious to Tamao's discomfort. His orange headphones were clamped tightly over his ears, blocking out any and all noises from the surrounding world. The beat of an unfamiliar song drifted out into the bus stop, but one wouldn't really notice it unless he or she was trying to hear it. It was so loud, however, that even if Tamao had let out a wail, Yoh-sama probably wouldn't have noticed. And for that, Tamao was thankful. She let out a delicate sigh, slouching the tiniest bit on the bench. She wasn't exactly thrilled to see Anna-sama, but she couldn't say she was dreading it. Anna-sama had a way of making Tamao feel inferior to her, but not _too _inferior, if that made any sense.

Suddenly, the noise that didn't make its way into Yoh-sama's ear canals stopped abruptly. The brunette's eyebrows shot up for a moment, then he began to dig through his pockets. A few moments later, he produced a dark green cassette player; it looked like it had just barely survived a hurricane. He shook it, then pressed a button or two rather roughly. He licked his lips in frustration, then slid off the headphones with a frustrated sigh.

"Batteries're dead," he informed Tamao as he set the cassette player onto the bench next to him. She blinked.

"Oh," was the only reply she could muster. She felt rather dumb at the moment, sitting on a bus stop bench with the love of her life, face red, fingers twiddling wildly, and feet kicking up dust. Silence reigned supreme for a few minutes or so, and as every second passed, Tamao felt the need to speak. But what could she say? Surely Yoh-sama wouldn't be interested in any of her thoughts or opinions.

Yoh-sama sighed again, taking a quick peek at a watch Tamao hadn't noticed he'd been wearing. Then he picked up his cassette player and flipped open a little door on the side. After some prodding, twin batteries plopped out into Yoh-sama's palm.

"Do you think they're really dead?" he inquired curiously, looking up from his palm to Tamao's face. "Or could they just be sleeping?" Tamao flapped around mentally for a response.

"I-I don't know," she stuttered. "What do you think, Yoh-sama?"

"It's possible," he replied with a shrug. "I mean, I've been using them almost nonstop since I got on the bus yesterday morning, so I guess they'd be all tired out. I mean, _I'd _be tired if I'd been running since yesterday morning, too." A joke. Tamao forced herself to smile, but a nervous giggle popped out instead. But instead of squirming around uncomfortably, the pink-haired girl just went with it.

"What's so funny?" Yoh-sama asked, a grin appearing on his face as he flicked Tamao's nose lightly. "I was being serious." At the slight contact, Tamao's giggle disappeared and her face flushed a bit. A hand went up to cover her coy smile, and she glanced down at her feet.

"Gomen nasai," she said, a hint of a giggle still in her voice, as well as a few nerves. "It's just that I've n-never heard anything so silly b-before." Yoh-sama grinned, then put a finger up to his lips.

"Shhh, they're tired," he said, pointing at the pair of batteries that rested in his palm. "You'll wake them up if you keep laughing." Tamao's laughter returned, but she tried to muffle it with her fingers.

"They need their goodnight kisses," Yoh-sama continued in a whisper. He lifted his palm to his face, then gave a loud smooch to each of the batteries. Then he extended his hand out to Tamao.

"Nani?" she asked in genuine confusion, insides fluttering a bit. Her face reddened considerably.

"They want their kisses from 'kaa-chan, too," he said earnestly. Tamao broke out in a cold sweat. Was Yoh-sama implying that he was 'tou-chan and that she was 'kaa-chan? No, Anna-sama was 'kaa-chan, of course. Tamao could never be 'kaa-chan. At least not to Yoh-sama's children. Not even to Yoh-sama's sleeping batteries. But before Tamao could respond, a bus pulled up to the meager bus stop.

Moments later, the Holy Terror of Izumo clomped off the bus, making one heck of a racket as she ordered the bus driver around as he unloaded her luggage.

"Be careful with that!" Anna-sama barked at the blanching bus driver. "Hey, that not mine; leave it there!"

"Yo, Anna," Yoh-sama said eventually as he tipped the bus driver generously for putting up with his fiancée for hours on end. She appeared to have been one of about four people on the entire bus, and Tamao knew she'd given everyone else there one absolutely _fun-filled_ excursion into the countryside.

Before the bus could even pull away, Yoh-sama had been converted into something that resembled a pack mule, and he began struggling down the path that led back to the Asakura residence. And as she struggled with a large stack of what appeared to be sun hats in boxes, Tamao glanced over her shoulder. Laying on the bench where she and Yoh-sama were sitting just moments ago were the batteries, along with the dark green cassette player. She stared woefully for a moment, shifting the boxes around in her arms. Finally, while Yoh-sama and Anna-sama were bickering like an old married couple about something or other, Tamao managed to grab the beat-up cassette player. She shoved it into her pocket. Tamao knew for certain that Yoh-sama would be glad. After all, what other distraction did he have from Anna-sama's nagging?

**End Chapter III.**

A/N: Definitely not as cute as the first two chapters, but what can I say? My life's not as cute as it was when I started this fic. -_sweatdrop_- And what's this preoccupation I have with batteries, anyway?


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